Using Employee Blogs For Recruiting

Issue 2 of 3

In my last blog, I discussed recruitment branding & sourcing. This came from a list of 13 Trends in Corporate Recruiting for 2009. I now turn your attention to using employee blogs for recruiting. The blogosphere is exploding with every Tom, Dick, and Harry writing about whatever is on their mind. Hand in hand is the popularity in social media. Companies are starting to take notice.

According to Dr. John Sullivan, a practice that is finally beginning to enter the mainstream is employee blogging to support recruiting efforts. The very best firms use blogs not just to spread their message but also to answer questions and to make their company appear more “real” and approachable. Key focus areas include blogs by employees other than recruiters and micro-blogs. Firms already discussing such trends: Microsoft, Google, and Sun.

I recently asked the question, "Why do you blog?" on twitter. The responses were shared during a recent impromptu hockey tweetup orchestrated by Shannon Paul, social media guru for the Detroit Red Wings. Tweetup = People on twitter meeting up. Most of the attendees were frequent bloggers or people that spent time on professional networking sites. Common responses were, 'looking to develop their personal brand', and the opportunity to demonstrate their industry knowledge and expertise.

Most of the time companies create blogs to interact with their customers, clients, and prospects. The longer you spend on a website or blog, the more likely you will connect with that brand. When you start engaging in questions and answers, relationships begin to flourish. With the sophistication of technology, more and more video blogs are entering the blogosphere allowing the public to get a visual with more than just words on a page. Recently I've noticed an increase in videos embedded for online newspapers. Ah yes, the world as we know it is changing.

Due to the recent downsizing in companies, a growing number of people are either unemployed or in job transition. The old way of looking on Monster or Careerbuilder to find a job is becoming archaic and most of the good jobs aren't listed on these sites as discussed in my video below. Creating a plan to 'job search' is no different than any other plan you look to implement. Often times people ask me to help them figure out what jobs to pursue. My suggestions are as follows:

• Narrow down your target industries, looking in too many places will distract you
• Determine which current job titles apply to your background and expertise
• Connect with your network, let them know you are looking for a job/career
• Join associations, networks, chambers, etc
• Consider creating a video resume (will discuss in future post)
• Seek out companies you respect and would LIKE to work for
• Read company Blogs
• Meet the influencers in your local community

Why read company blogs? Simply put, this is where you can find out great information about what is going on with a company, if there are any expansion plans on the horizon, if someone was recently promoted potentially creating a vacant position and more. The information you find just might be the difference between getting your foot in the door before the company posts the position and having to compete with hundreds of qualified candidates.

I would love to hear about your interaction with company blogs. Do you write them? What impact do you see them having now and in the future? Share the love!